OmniTRAX to take over operation of West Virginia rail line

OmniTRAX Inc. plans to assume operation of the South Branch Valley Railroad from the West Virginia State Rail Authority, according to an Aug. 14 filing with the Surface Transportation Board.

The 52.4-mile line is a former branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. and operates between Petersburg and Green Spring, West Virginia. It provides freight and passenger service to the state’s eastern panhandle, according to the railroad’s website.

Under an agreement, the rail authority would maintain ownership of the line but it would be operated by OmniTRAX on or after Sept. 13, according to the STB filing.

In Green Spring, the South Branch line links to a CSX mainline connecting Cumberland, Maryland, to Martinsburg, West Virginia.